Sforza Castle

The Sforza Castle is a magnificent medieval castle in Milan, built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza as a residence. Nowadays, the castle houses several museums.

The first fortification on the castle grounds was built in the 14th century, but it was destroyed during the popular uprising. Around the middle of the 15th century, Francesco Sforza built a castle here. Even the famous Leonardo da Vinci was attracted for its decoration, but only the pergola has been preserved to this day, all his frescoes have been lost. When examining the castle, it is easy to notice familiar motifs, because the architects of the Moscow Kremlin took sketches from it. The main tower of the castle, the Filarete Tower, was designed by architect Antonio Filarete, who has been working with Aristotle Fioravanti for some time.

During the Italian Wars, Sforza escaped from the city and the fortress was captured by King Louis XII of France. He installed his own receiver, but under his leadership the castle fell into disrepair, besides, during a thunderstorm in 1521, lightning struck the Filaret tower, where there was a warehouse with gunpowder. It had to be dismantled after the explosion. When Ferrante Gonzaga took over Milan, the first thing he did was strengthen the city. He ordered the construction of additional fortifications in the form of a star, and the castle was in the center of them. The rooms in the castle itself were converted into barracks for two thousand people.

After the revolution, the French took over the city and a group of local residents handed Napoleon a petition asking him to destroy the castle and build a square so that he could repeat the fate of the Bastille. But Napoleon gave the order to simply build a large square in front of the Sforza Castle. In 1833, the castle was restored to its medieval appearance, and in 1900, the Filaret tower was restored according to drawings.

Nowadays, the Sforza Castle houses various museums that can be accessed with a single ticket. It is worth noting that you can visit them without paying if you go here an hour before the museums close and on Thursday afternoon. Once here, you can visit the prehistoric museum, the museum of tableware, musical instruments, Ancient Egypt and others.